Machines are most useful if they are easy to set up and operate. By way of example only and not by limitation, large sewing machines and quilting machines in particular, are complex, heavy and, typically, hard to use machines. The state of the art is a complex assortment of separate plates, lengths of pipe, bolts and nuts that require a person specifically trained in the assembling of the particular machine to do so. A user is forced to call in “professional” help in order to get the machine assembled the first time and any time thereafter should he or she wish to move or modify it.
Further, the “modern” quilting machines, even when disassembled, contain parts that are too heavy for a single person to handle or too awkward to assemble alone. Thus, there is a need in the art for an apparatus and method that enables the user to simply and easily assemble a machine structure, and specifically a sewing/quilting machine. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a unibody apparatus and method that enables a single user to assemble a support structure that is easy and simple and that does not require professional assistance.